Relationships between Five-Factor Personality Model and Anxiety: The Effect of Conscientiousness on Anxiety

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the relation between anxiety and the Big Five personality traits, especially conscientiousness and extraversion. Methods: 121 participants aged 13 - 55 (M = 31.94) were evaluated anxiety levels using the BIS scale of anxiety; for conscientiousness and extraversion, they were measured by Big-Five Factor Markers. Results: There was a significant negative correlation between anxiety and conscientiousness; The results also showed that 1) While considering the multivariate model, conscientiousness and extraversion did not have independent effects on anxiety; a mediation effect existed. 2) There existed an interaction effect between conscientiousness and extraversion: for people who were high on extraversion, conscientiousness was less strongly related to anxiety. Conclusion: Results suggested that a small amount of variance in anxiety can be explained by conscientiousness and extraversion.